This invention relates to dispensing apparatus and methods, and in particular rolled paper dispensing apparatus for delivering absorbent paper products such as toilet tissue, hand towels and the like.
Commercial and consumer absorbent paper products typically are distributed and dispensed from rolls. Rolled paper products may be dispensed, stored and maintained using a hollow cylindrical core which forms the support structure about which the paper is wrapped. Most paper toweling and consumer toilet tissue products contain a cardboard core, and the rolled product is often dispensed by mounting the core on a spindle passing through the core of the roll. In some cases, a mounting structure or wire frame operatively engages each end of the core, thereby suspending the rolled product to facilitate dispensing of the paper.
Large or jumbo sized toilet tissue rolls are dispensed in restrooms of commercial buildings and in other locations where high volumes of rolled paper products are needed. Typically, these large size rolls include a core in the center of the roll. Usually, the rolls are mounted in dispensers so that the core of the roll is supported on a hub, or axis of rotation, within the dispenser housing. These large size rolls may be largely invisible to the consumer, as they often are dispenser. Other dispensers employ a hinged housing cover, which must be opened or moved laterally to facilitate reloading the dispenser. Reloading dispensers is a time consuming task for maintenance personnel. In general, it is desirable to provide a process for reloading dispensers in a manner that is efficient and simple. One challenge in commercial dispenser design is to provide a dispenser that may be reloaded easily and quickly, but still offers security to the rolled paper product, thereby protecting the dispenser contents from vandalism and theft.
Coreless rolls of paper product are employed in applications where it is desirable to avoid using a core in the center of the rolled product. Coreless rolled products may be manufactured as provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,148 to form a depression in the side of the roll that facilitates supporting and dispensing the roll. Devices capable of dispensing coreless rolled paper products have been disclosed as provided for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,576. Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,985, is directed to a method of treating a coreless roll to create a mounting hole in at least one end of the roll to provide a self-supporting roll for mounting in a rotary dispenser.
In reloading dispensers, it is common practice to remove a partially consumed roll when placing a new roll into the dispenser. It is desirable to employ some method of using the partially consumed roll, sometimes called a xe2x80x9cstub roll.xe2x80x9d If there is no convenient way to dispense the partially consumed rolls, then such rolls may not be used, undesirably increasing the overall cost of providing paper products to users.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly for dispensing an absorbent roll, wherein the assembly is simple and economical to manufacture, install, and use. These and other objects of the invention are provided by the disclosed structure and method, or may be learned from practice of the invention.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an assembly for dispensing an absorbent paper roll is provided having an interior space and an exterior cover. The assembly includes a pair of opposed support members, wherein the support members are adapted to engage sides of a paper roll. The support members are mounted on the interior of the housing in spaced relation to each other. In some embodiments of the invention, there is a first pair of projections within the interior space of the housing to articulate with sides of the roll, thereby forming a fixed mounting axis from which the roll may be dispensed. A stub roll unit side feature, sometimes called an xe2x80x9cescortxe2x80x9d or stub roll, facilitates the storage and dispensing of a partially dispensed roll in addition to the main or primary roll. Further, the assembly is adapted for automatically receiving and mounting a paper roll within the interior space of the housing upon the insertion of the paper roll into the housing.
The invention comprises a method and apparatus for more efficiently and easily dispensing paper products, such as toilet tissue, from commercial wall mounted dispensers. The dispenser may be re-loaded in most instances by way of a single operation that usually requires only one hand. Further, the housing protects the paper from vandals and improper tampering, while being configured for a simple reloading procedure without the necessity for using keys, locks, and the like to gain access to the housing.
The invention may comprise spring loaded projections on the interior of the housing that are adapted to receive and suspend within the housing rolls of paper tissue. Doors within the housing are configured to facilitate insertion of a new roll of paper into the dispenser when located in the open position. Further, such doors suspend the tail (end) of the paper roll for easy access to the tissue user when the doors are in the closed position.
In one embodiment, the projections are spring loaded. The opposed support members are biased against the sides of the paper roll in one configuration of the invention. The paper roll may contain a core, or alternatively, may be coreless. If the paper roll is coreless, the roll is supported within the housing by projections capable of articulating with indentations or spaces in the sides of the paper roll.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an assembly for dispensing a coreless absorbent paper roll is presented including a housing having an interior space and an exterior cover. Further, opposed support members are adapted to engage the sides a paper roll, the support members being mounted on the interior of the housing in spaced relation to each other within the housing. The assembly is adapted for automatically receiving and mounting a paper roll within the interior space of the housing upon insertion of the roll into the housing. A first pair of spring-loaded projections are provided within the interior space of the housing, adapted to engage indentations in the sides of the coreless paper roll forming a fixed mounting axis from which the coreless paper roll may be dispensed. A stub roll unit is adapted to dispense a partially consumed roll.
The assembly may further include a release mechanism to facilitate the release and removal of a paper roll from the assembly prior to depletion of the paper roll. In one embodiment, the assembly includes at least one door capable of holding the tail of a paper roll in spaced relation to the housing. The opposed support members typically are flexible, thereby facilitating engagement with opposite sides of the roll as the roll is inserted into the housing.
At least one of the first pair of projections may be actuable between: (a) a fully erect position for engaging a mounted paper roll, and (b) a disabled position to facilitate removal of a mounted paper roll from the assembly. Removal of a paper roll may be desirable, for example, when only one-half, or less, of the roll is remaining in the dispenser, and a period of heavy use is anticipated in the near future. The ability to remove a partially dispensed roll assists in preventing the undesirable depletion of the roll during a time when no maintenance personnel are available to refill the dispenser (i.e. sometimes called a xe2x80x9crun outxe2x80x9d condition).
In some embodiments, a release bar is used to actuate a projection, thereby enabling removal of a partially dispensed roll. The release bar may slidably engage the projection to disable the projection, thereby facilitating the removal of a paper roll from the assembly. The assembly further may include a second pair of projections capable of articulating with indentations in the sides of a coreless stub roll.
In some embodiments, the stub roll is oriented within the housing such that the ends of the stub roll are situated in parallel to the full paper roll. The assembly may further include a housing comprising one or more windows to facilitate visual observation of the amount of depletion of rolls in the housing.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention a method of mounting a new absorbent paper roll in a dispenser is provided. As a first step, existing stub rolls are removed from the primary dispensing means of the housing. Then, a new paper roll is placed adjacent to the dispenser and in alignment with the dispenser housing. The dispenser has elongated support members on its interior. Next, a new paper roll is inserted into the housing of the dispenser. The new paper roll engages elongated support members along the sides of the paper roll. As a next step, projections are activated on each side of the paper roll, to articulate with the paper roll and support the roll within the housing for dispensing paper to the exterior of the housing. Optionally, the stub roll may be mounted in a stub roll unit of the housing.